Double-twist spindle device

ABSTRACT

A double-twist device for the uptwisting of a yarn which includes a frusto-conical bowl rotatable about its axis, a tube extending along an extension of the axis and opening into the conical wall of the bowl and rotatable therewith, a hollow yarn package-carrying assembly substantially coaxial with the bowl and having associated thereby means for locking the twist in said yarn and means for preventing said assembly from rotating.

United States Patent Matas-Gabalda 1 51 3,685,269 1 Aug. 22, 1972 [54] DOUBLE-TWIST SPINDLE DEVICE [72] Inventor: Carlos MatasGabalda, Le Grand Duc B107, Valence, France [22] Filed: Dec. 19, 1969 [21] Appl. No.2 886,500

[52] US. Cl. ..'57/58.83

[51] Int. Cl. ..D0lh 1/10, DO1h'7/86' [58] Field of Search....57/58.49, 58.72, 58.76, 58.78,

[56] References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATE TS I 10/1954 Landolt ..57/58.83 x 2,939,268 6/1960 Rehn ..57/58.83 3,177,643 4/1965 De Halleux et al. ..57/58.83 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 740,399 9/1943 Germany ..57/58.83

2/1966 Great Britain ..57/58.86 9/1957 Switzerland ..57/58.83

Primary Examiner-Stanley N. 'Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder Attorney-Sherman and Shalloway [57] ABSTRACT A doubletwist device for the uptwisting of a yarn which includes a frusto-conical bowl rotatable about its axis, a tube extending along an extension of the axis and opening into the conical wall of the bowl and rotatable therewith, a hollow yarn package-carrying assembly substantially coaxial with the bowl and having associated thereby means for locking the twist in said yarn and means for preventing said assembly from rotating.

4 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures msmcnmzz m2 FIG 2 CARLOS MATAS-GABALDA DOUBLE-TWIST SPINDLE DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Spindles commonly known as double-twist spindles are becoming increasingly popular. However, a common defect encountered in the uptwisting of yarns with the aid of existing double-twist spindles is that the yarn or thread tensions created are frequently excessive due to the bulky nature of the equipment used and of the package undergoing winding off, the dimensions of the resulting yarn loop being substantially greater than those obtained by direct uptwisting. A doubletwist, vertical-axis winding-off spindle comprises essentially:

l. a rotating assembly consisting of a magazine plate,

a drivingpulley, and a pivot rod mounted in a step bearing;

2. a package-carrying assembly maintained immobile, for example, by a magnetic retaining device; and

3. a tube carrying the yarn or thread package and on which is mounted a tensioning device for locking the twist in the yarn.

Starting from the package, the thread passes into the, tensioning means and then into the rotating assembly and from there into a loop restricting eye, from whence it is withdrawn by a take-up means. When the spindle is rotated, the thread tension in the loop formed is balanced by the sum of the extremely small package wind-off tension, the tension produced by the passage of the thread within the tensioning means and, finally, the tension due to the friction of the thread winding itself in the magazine plate or disc. It should be noted,

that this last component of tension has a compensating effect; in fact, if the winding-off tension increases, for example, the arc formed by the thread on the magazine plate diminishes, and vice versa. With this in mind, it is found that the tension on the thread measured after the loop-constricting eye increases with the vertical distance between the emergence of the thread on the magazine plate and the eye. In order to diminish the tension on the thread, it is known to add to the magazine a conical dish which is integral therewith in such manner that the thread, after having been wound in the magazine forms a helical path on the dish, so that to the frictional tension due to the winding of the thread on the magazine there is added that due to the friction on the conical dish. Under these conditions, it may be considered that the thread is rotated by the dish as far as the point at which it is detached so as to form the loop. The height between this point and the guide is smaller, all other things being equal, than in the preceding case, and a diminution in the tension exerted on the thread after the eye is in fact observed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION For a further. and more detailed understanding of the present invention and the various additional objects and advantages accomplished thereby, reference is made to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows, in diagrammatic form, one embodiment of a double-twist spindle according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 shows, diagrammatically and in greater detail, the path of the thread between the spindle outlet and the loop eye.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT According to the present invention, there is provided a double-twist spindle device comprising a frusto-conical bowl rotatable about its axis, a tube extending along an extension of the axis and opening into the conical wall of the bowl and rotatable therewith, a hollow yarn package-carrying assembly substantially coaxial with the bowl and having associated therewith means for locking the twist in a yarn, and means for preventing the assembly from rotating. The arrangement is such that yarn leaving a package carried by the assembly forms a first loop, passes through the assembly, has the twist locked therein, passes through the tube, forms a helix on the exterior of the bowl, forms a second loop, and passes through a yarn guide before being taken up. Thus, the magazineis dispensed with and the thread emerges directly on the frusto-conical bowl. In this manner, the bowl acts as the magazine; the thread is wound helically on it, and the length of the arc enclosed will be greaterthan in the previous case. The grip of the thread on the bowl will be more effective and the detachment point will be raised. The new height between this point and the level of the looprestricting eye will be reduced. With a design of this kind, a very clear diminution in tension is observed, all other things being equal. This makes it possible, for a given tension, to rotate the spindle more rapidly and thus to produce the material to a greater extent and to damp it more rapidly. With delicate and/or fine yarns, this makes it possible, while retaining the same rotational velocity as that in known spindles, to economize with regard to thread, since the tension is lower and consequently the risk of rupture is reduced.

Attention should also be drawn to a further practical advantage of the invention. Due to the fact that the conventional double-twist spindle magazine is replaced by the conical bowl, having a larger thread capacity, the divergence between the minimum friction and the maximum friction of the turns on the conical bowl is greater than in the preceding designs. The compensation capacity is greater, so that it becomes possible to regulate the tension imparted by the blocking means, for a yarn of predetermined count, and to make no change in such adjustment when employing different counts, tension compensation being automatically effected by the arc enclosedby the turns on the conical bowl, so as to balance the new loop tensions.

, The illustrated double-twist spindle comprises a rotating, frusto-conical dish or bowl 1 having a coaxial skirt 2 and mounted on a shaft 3, which in turn is supported by a step bearing (not shown). The skirt 2 serves portion 11B, which extends through the bowl and opens as an orifice 12 on the frusto-conical surface thereof. The portion 118 may be at an obtuse angle'or at a right angle to the axis of the device. The bearings 13 for supporting the assembly 4 are carried by theaxial portion 11A of the tube 1 1.

At the upper portion of the tube 6, a tensioning means 8 for twist locking is centered, and this may be of any desired type, for example, a ball type mounted on a magnetic seating. A loop eye or guide is shown at In operation, thread wound off from the package 7 forms a first loop F1 and is then introduced into the bore in the tube 6, traveling through the tensioning means 8 which regulates the tension while furthermore locking the propagation of twist. Within the tube 6, the thread follows the axial travel path F2, and then enters What is claimed is l. A double-twist spindle device comprising a sup- I port assembly for carrying a yarn package, said assembly including a tube having first and second ends and twist locking means mounted on said first end of said tube, the yarn from the package, passing through said twist locking means and said tube to said second end thereof; a rotatable bowl having a frusto-conical outer surface with an upper end defining a recess therein and a passage extending from a first opening at said frusto-conical surface to a second opening at'the axis of said bowl, said support assembly being coaxial with said bowl and extending into said recesswith said second end of said tube communicating with said second opening of said passage, the yarn from the package passing through said passage in said bowl and exiting at said first opening; means for maintaining said support assembly stationary relative to said rotation bowl; and a guide spaced from said second end of said tube, the yarn traveling in a helical path from said first opening of said passage along said frusto-conical sur-' face to said guide, said first opening being spaced from said upper end of said frusto-conical surface the yarn moving in at least one helical turn from said first opening to said upper end in contact with said fru'sto-conical surface.

the tube 11 so as to travel toward the exterior of the frusto-conical bowl 1 through the orifice 12 and onto the frusto-conical surface of the bowl 1; the thread describes a plurality of helical turns F3 until reaching the detachment point 10, where it leaves the bowl so as to form a second loop F4. Theheighth between the detachment point 10 and the level of the loop eye is of reducedvalue as compared with known double-twist uptwisting systems and the system has the advantages described hereinabove.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, which is set forth by way of example only and not intended to limit the invention to which modifications evidencing a reasonable range of equivalents will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

' 2; The double-twist spindle device as recited in claim 1 wherein said passage in said bowl has a first portion extending along the axis of said bowl and communicating with said second opening and a second portion extending at an angle from said first portion and communicating with said first opening at said frusto-conical surface.

3. The double-twist spindle device as recited in claim 1- wherein. the axes of said support assembly and said bowl are vertically disposed with said first end of said tube disposed above said second end of said tube and said guide is disposed above said second end of said tube.

4. The double-twist spindle device as recited in claim 3 wherein said twist locking means includes a ball mountedon a magnetic seat. 

1. A double-twist spindle device comprising a support assembly for carrying a yarn package, said assembly including a tube having first and second ends and twist locking means mounted on said first end of said tube, the yarn from the package passing through said twist locking means and said tube to said second end thereof; a rotatable bowl having a frusto-conical outer surface with an upper end defining a recess therein and a passage extending from a first opening at said frusto-conical surface to a second opening at the axis of said bowl, said support assembly being coaxial with said bowl and extending into said recess with said second end of said tube communicating with said second opening of said passage, the yarn from the package passing through said passage in said bowl and exiting at said first opening; means for maintaining said support assembly stationary relative to said rotation bowl; and a guide spaced from said second end of said tube, the yarn traveling in a helical path from said first opening of said passage along said frusto-conical surface to said guide, said first opening being spaced from said upper end of said frusto-conical surface, the yarn moving in at least one helical turn from said first opening to said upper end in contact with said frusto-conical surface.
 2. The double-twist spindle device as recited in claim 1 wherein said passage in said bowl has a first portion extending along the axis of said bowl and communicating with said second opening and a second portion extending at an angle from said first portion and communicating with said first opening at said frusto-conical surface.
 3. The double-twist spindle device as recited in claim 1 wherein the axes of said support assembly and said bowl are vertically disposed with said first end of said tube disposed above said second end of said tube and said guide is disposed above said second end of said tube.
 4. The double-twist spindle device as recited in claim 3 wherein said twist locking means includes a ball mounted on a magnetic seat. 